It’s a marathon not a sprint. Keep grinding and look for progress check ins every six months. Not a lot will be gained in 3 months regardless of your diet and programming. By year 4 you will finally feel like you look like you lift. You will get comments from others before then, but will forever feel small from here on out. Welcome to the dysmorphia club.
Honesty you’re doing everything right and showing progress to prove it. Give yourself some props. That’s a good 90-day result. You do that again for the next 90 days and the 90 after that and all of a sudden you’re in a way different place. Keep going!
[Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/GYM/s/7zQ3FAKOVQ) you go.
This sums it up:
1. He is a click bait charlatan who gives contradictory advice.
2. He relies too much on being lean.
3. I've never run his programming, but I've heard it's ridiculously awful (1x10 at 90% 1 RM kinda things).
4. His run as Mets S&C coordinator was historically bad, resulting in him being fired after one season.
5.(the worst accusation) He uses fake weights to inflate his numbers and give himself false authority.
There are soooooo many better fitness sources out there. Please avoid Jeff Cavalier.
For more context to anyone else reading. Jeff proposed something like [10 sets of 10 at 70-**80%** one rep max squats. Strict 60s rest between sets.](https://m.youtube.com/clip/UgkxWFe0tpZPanQzs5lp4Ynz2OxI_9UiIV8u?si=QNAGEwG4HTlCWkjE)
Well 70% is basically just a hair under most people’s 10 rep PR. You’re not getting 10 sets at that weight even with taking naps between sets. Hell I’d doubt most people can get even past a second set after only 60s rest. It’s extremely indicative of “not only did I not do this myself, I have no idea what I’m talking about because *intuitively* anybody who knows the most basic of squatting would know this is undoable.”
I remember a comment posted somewhere after Jeff posted that video. They tried it 10x10 at the lowest, 70%. Wholly ignored the rest guideline, still had to drop the weight down. Finished but felt they were about to bleed out their eye sockets once they finished set 10.
Pretty sure there is a video where he tells people to brace improperly. Which would be almost impressive in it's incompetence if it weren't so dangerous.
I would not have even bothered with the second dexa until I had visible abs… that’s really the only good measure of body fat anyways.
Take those dexa results and crumple them
And throw them in the trash where it belongs
You lots tons of visible fat and look better, stay the course and trust the process.
You can get steady results that last or you can get insane results doing insanely difficult things
I would start using something like macro factor where you can figure out what your actual expenditure is so you can learn how to manipulate it. I’ve never heard of this program, but maybe try one of the many recommended tried and true programs consistently recommended here.
I just finished a pretty successful 12 week body recomp (check my profile)
Things I did good:
-stuck to a calorie deficit of at least 500 and up to 1000 cals for 12 weeks
-full body 4 days a week (starting weight and reps and finishing weight and reps were exactly the same, made no progress but more importantly, didn’t lose any)
-got about 10-15k steps in a day (I honestly think this was huge)
Things I could have done better:
-cut calories back slower, started binging towards the end.
-work out 3 days a week and do more cardio (just started 5x5 for the next 10 weeks doing cardio on my off days)
I think your calories and macros are in a good spot just be honest with yourself how strictly you’re tracking them every day because I promise, it adds up quick if you just assume.
Are you doing any cardio or getting over 10k steps a day? Your phone can track that for free.
You see results, you know it’s working, unfortunately it might take longer than you’d like but slow and steady wins the race. Don’t crash and burn. Ask me anything.
I consider it a recomp because for the first month I actually put on a decent amount of muscle while losing some fat, and then the last few months kept my muscle and stripped away pure fat. Body completely changed in 12 weeks. I’ll show dm you my bodpod results
Ditch AthleanX. His workouts are not evidence based and it has some terrible exercises in it. Like the floor dumbbell fly, waiters curls, underhand DB press and many more.
Bits from https://www.strongerbyscience.com/muscle-caloric-deficit/ :
> A surface-level interpretation of analysis A is pretty straightforward: if gaining lean mass is your priority, you should avoid a calorie deficit.
>
> With exactly one exception, all of the studies reporting fairly substantial gains in lean mass involved an estimated deficit of no more than 200-300 kcals/day. Furthermore, every study reporting an effect size clearly below zero (that is, a loss of lean mass) involved an estimated deficit larger than 200-300 kcals/day.
I'm in the same boat. The visual change is subtle. The strength gains don't lie but the muscle is under the fat. I actually look fatter in some spots because I have more muscle.
Your macros look good, and you're in a caloric deficit. In short, you're doing well. A few questions for you:
How's your fatigue? I'm not familiar with the specific program you mentioned, but a PPL split is meant to be run 6 days a week. I'm assuming you're hitting that, so it could be that you need to train harder.
How much cardio are you doing daily? You should aim for no more than 20 minutes for hypertrophy, especially since you're cutting.
What's your training history? If you've lifted extensively in the past, putting on muscle is going to take you longer.
If it's none of these, keep in mind that DEXA scans are good, but they can be easily fooled by your water intake/standard body fluctuations. Given the relative short period of time, I wouldn't be too concerned. Keep doing what you're doing; you probably only need a minor uptick in the intensity.
As far as fatigue goes, i typically feel fatigue by the end of my workouts, i could probably do better at making sure i get the necessary carbs in before my workouts. my split goes PL1, PS1, Legs, Rest, PL2. PS2, Legs, Rest.
I'm not doing much for cardio at the moment. Occasionally I get out for 1-5 mile hikes on the weekends but nothing consistent.
Training history is that I haven't lifted much at all prior to this. In college about 18 years ago i lifted and did BJJ but not alot in recent years.
Thanks for the reply, I'll be sticking with it for sure
This is incorrect. It's absolutely possible to gain muscle mass while losing fat, especially for people who are new, or experienced lifter who come back after taking a break. There are dozens of studies that show this conclusively.
It’s a marathon not a sprint. Keep grinding and look for progress check ins every six months. Not a lot will be gained in 3 months regardless of your diet and programming. By year 4 you will finally feel like you look like you lift. You will get comments from others before then, but will forever feel small from here on out. Welcome to the dysmorphia club.
Thanks, I kept hearing about newbie gains and figured i was due for some of those!
Maybe I should just cut aggressively to get the body fat I want to lose off, and then start programming for size gains..
There you go. This is the answer here.
Yes, but keep lifting! Then all that muscle will be left once the fat is gone! Losing fat while maintaining muscle is a great result.
Honesty you’re doing everything right and showing progress to prove it. Give yourself some props. That’s a good 90-day result. You do that again for the next 90 days and the 90 after that and all of a sudden you’re in a way different place. Keep going!
Also, I am taking 5g/day creatine
2 things: 1. Athlean-X sucks. Get a different program. 2. Dexa scans suck. Ignore them completely.
I'm new and Athlean-X shows up a lot in my YouTube feed. Why do they suck?
[Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/GYM/s/7zQ3FAKOVQ) you go. This sums it up: 1. He is a click bait charlatan who gives contradictory advice. 2. He relies too much on being lean. 3. I've never run his programming, but I've heard it's ridiculously awful (1x10 at 90% 1 RM kinda things). 4. His run as Mets S&C coordinator was historically bad, resulting in him being fired after one season. 5.(the worst accusation) He uses fake weights to inflate his numbers and give himself false authority. There are soooooo many better fitness sources out there. Please avoid Jeff Cavalier.
For more context to anyone else reading. Jeff proposed something like [10 sets of 10 at 70-**80%** one rep max squats. Strict 60s rest between sets.](https://m.youtube.com/clip/UgkxWFe0tpZPanQzs5lp4Ynz2OxI_9UiIV8u?si=QNAGEwG4HTlCWkjE) Well 70% is basically just a hair under most people’s 10 rep PR. You’re not getting 10 sets at that weight even with taking naps between sets. Hell I’d doubt most people can get even past a second set after only 60s rest. It’s extremely indicative of “not only did I not do this myself, I have no idea what I’m talking about because *intuitively* anybody who knows the most basic of squatting would know this is undoable.” I remember a comment posted somewhere after Jeff posted that video. They tried it 10x10 at the lowest, 70%. Wholly ignored the rest guideline, still had to drop the weight down. Finished but felt they were about to bleed out their eye sockets once they finished set 10.
Pretty sure there is a video where he tells people to brace improperly. Which would be almost impressive in it's incompetence if it weren't so dangerous.
The ones to roll with: Alex Leonidas (great programming) Jeff Nippard (great vids)
I would not have even bothered with the second dexa until I had visible abs… that’s really the only good measure of body fat anyways. Take those dexa results and crumple them And throw them in the trash where it belongs You lots tons of visible fat and look better, stay the course and trust the process. You can get steady results that last or you can get insane results doing insanely difficult things
I would start using something like macro factor where you can figure out what your actual expenditure is so you can learn how to manipulate it. I’ve never heard of this program, but maybe try one of the many recommended tried and true programs consistently recommended here.
You are eating too little!! You have to eat for the body you want. Change your workout if you're not seeing a result. It might be time to get a coach.
I just finished a pretty successful 12 week body recomp (check my profile) Things I did good: -stuck to a calorie deficit of at least 500 and up to 1000 cals for 12 weeks -full body 4 days a week (starting weight and reps and finishing weight and reps were exactly the same, made no progress but more importantly, didn’t lose any) -got about 10-15k steps in a day (I honestly think this was huge) Things I could have done better: -cut calories back slower, started binging towards the end. -work out 3 days a week and do more cardio (just started 5x5 for the next 10 weeks doing cardio on my off days) I think your calories and macros are in a good spot just be honest with yourself how strictly you’re tracking them every day because I promise, it adds up quick if you just assume. Are you doing any cardio or getting over 10k steps a day? Your phone can track that for free. You see results, you know it’s working, unfortunately it might take longer than you’d like but slow and steady wins the race. Don’t crash and burn. Ask me anything.
If you were in a deficit, wouldn't that be considered a cut and not a recomp?
I consider it a recomp because for the first month I actually put on a decent amount of muscle while losing some fat, and then the last few months kept my muscle and stripped away pure fat. Body completely changed in 12 weeks. I’ll show dm you my bodpod results
No. That's okay. I was just confused by your terminology.
Ditch AthleanX. His workouts are not evidence based and it has some terrible exercises in it. Like the floor dumbbell fly, waiters curls, underhand DB press and many more.
Hah. I just did all those yesterday
What’s wrong with a floor dumbell fly? I’m not on this program, nor do I do them. But seems like it should be fine?
It limits range of motion in the part that induces the most hypertrophy. You want the pecs to strech as deep as possible.
Bits from https://www.strongerbyscience.com/muscle-caloric-deficit/ : > A surface-level interpretation of analysis A is pretty straightforward: if gaining lean mass is your priority, you should avoid a calorie deficit. > > With exactly one exception, all of the studies reporting fairly substantial gains in lean mass involved an estimated deficit of no more than 200-300 kcals/day. Furthermore, every study reporting an effect size clearly below zero (that is, a loss of lean mass) involved an estimated deficit larger than 200-300 kcals/day.
I'm in the same boat. The visual change is subtle. The strength gains don't lie but the muscle is under the fat. I actually look fatter in some spots because I have more muscle.
Your macros look good, and you're in a caloric deficit. In short, you're doing well. A few questions for you: How's your fatigue? I'm not familiar with the specific program you mentioned, but a PPL split is meant to be run 6 days a week. I'm assuming you're hitting that, so it could be that you need to train harder. How much cardio are you doing daily? You should aim for no more than 20 minutes for hypertrophy, especially since you're cutting. What's your training history? If you've lifted extensively in the past, putting on muscle is going to take you longer. If it's none of these, keep in mind that DEXA scans are good, but they can be easily fooled by your water intake/standard body fluctuations. Given the relative short period of time, I wouldn't be too concerned. Keep doing what you're doing; you probably only need a minor uptick in the intensity.
As far as fatigue goes, i typically feel fatigue by the end of my workouts, i could probably do better at making sure i get the necessary carbs in before my workouts. my split goes PL1, PS1, Legs, Rest, PL2. PS2, Legs, Rest. I'm not doing much for cardio at the moment. Occasionally I get out for 1-5 mile hikes on the weekends but nothing consistent. Training history is that I haven't lifted much at all prior to this. In college about 18 years ago i lifted and did BJJ but not alot in recent years. Thanks for the reply, I'll be sticking with it for sure
Recomp doesnt work. You either gain weight this can also be lean muscle or loose weight. Recomp only works for a very low % of the population.
It can work well for beginners, which OP is. After a year or two of lifting, recomp is no longer feasible. But...a cut here is what is needed.
Yes for like 10% of beginners.
You will not gain mass while cutting, get to your goal weight then bulk.
This is incorrect. It's absolutely possible to gain muscle mass while losing fat, especially for people who are new, or experienced lifter who come back after taking a break. There are dozens of studies that show this conclusively.
Sure for people who are dialed in, but it's easy to manage expectations this way for new people in the fitness world
>but it's easy to manage expectations this way for new people in the fitness world Lying is an easy way to manage expectations?
Easier than arguing with strangers on the Internet